What is a membrane potential?

membrane potential is the tension that exists through the cell membrane. It is also known as transmembrane potential and is particularly important in nerve cells or neurons. The membrane potential is due to the difference in the electrical potential between the inside and the outer side of the cell. When the neuron is at rest, which means that it does not burn the nerve pulse, the inside of its cell membrane has a negative charge compared to the outer cell. This is the result of various concentrations of charged ions immediately inside and outside the membrane. Instead, special passages known as ion channels allow the ions of potassium movement of the cell membrane and reduce the positive charge inside the cell. The ion pumps in the membrane use energy to draw sodium ions from the cell, while drawing potassium. For each pair for each potassium ions that are moved to the cell with these ion transporters, three sodium ions move out, causing the overall loss of positive charge from the cell. Negatively charged molecules of proteins uvniThree cells are also prevented from leaving.

Together, these factors create a negative charge inside the cell due to the outside, which forms the membrane potential. The potential is constant at rest, but changes in nerve cells when the pulses are transmitted from one neuron to another. During the transmission of the nerve impulse, what is called the action potential where the cell membrane passes through the process called depolarization. After the action potential, the membrane potential returns to its normal resting state, which is usually measured as a difference of -70 milivolts between the interior and the outer side of the membrane.

Action potential begins when the nerve stimularus arrives in the cell and opens special sodium channels in the cell membrane. Positively charged sodium ions pass into the cell and changes in membrane potential become less negative. When the point known as the threshold of the action threshold is reachedMany other sodium channels and the inside of the cell membrane are positively charged, the opposite of normal.

Potassium channels open around the peak of the action potential and potassium floods from the cell. As a result, the inside of the cell is more negative, so the membrane is repolarized. Sodium channels are also approaching around this time. Usually repolarization exceeds and gradually returns to normal resting membrane potential. This process of reversing the membrane potential to create action potential is what allows impulses to carry along the nerves.